Not Another Cliche Love Story
by RemusLupinTrash
Summary: Natalie has been crushing on James Potter for as long as she can remember, but will he really be all that she thought he would when he asks her to be his fake girlfriend?
1. The Meeting on the Train

Natalie was walking down the corridor of the train, looking for the compartment that contained her friends when she heard someone call her name.

"Hey, Nat!" the voice said, coming from the open compartment door she had just walked past. She turned around and smiled at the boy sat there.

"Hey, James," she said, moving to lean on the doorframe out of the way of other students trying to make their way down the narrow corridor. "How was your summer?"

"Pretty good, didn't really do much. I made captain!" he beamed. A smile lit up Natalie's face as she saw how happy her friend was.

"That's great! I knew you would. Congrats, James," Natalie said. "Well, I'll see you later," she smiled again at James and nodded at the other boys in the compartment, turning to enter the corridor once more.

She found her friends a few compartments down the train and joined them, sitting in the empty seat by the window.

"Hello, Nat," Nathan greeted as she sat down.

"And hello to you, Nat," she replied with a laugh.

"That has never been funny," Benjy put in from next to Nathan, eyes glued to his book. Nathan and Benjy had been Natalie's best friends since she first met them on the train, and never once were they deterred by their being put in different houses. Benjy was in Hufflepuff and Nathan in Slytherin, with Natalie in Gryffindor. Some may think it would be difficult to continue a friendship like that, but the three made it work, alternating whose table they sat at during dinner, spending most of their time hanging out in the grounds and studying together in the library.

"James made captain," Natalie notified the boys, who in turn groaned in sync. "Hey! I'm just informing you of important updates regarding my quidditch life," she defended.

"Yeah, and you definitely weren't going to follow with 'oh I knew he would, he's so _amazing_ at everything and looks _sooo_ handsome with the wind blowing through his hair as he flies and-" Benjy teased.

"Ok, I get it! Shut up!" Natalie cut him off, laughing. "And I don't sound like that!"

"You do, Nat, you can't deny it," Benjy laughed and began mimicking her again. "Doesn't she, Nathan?" Natalie looked to the boy in question who was staring out the window and not even remotely paying attention to the two of them.

"Ben's right, Nat," Nathan said, still staring out the window at the hills whooshing past.

"Pfft, you have no idea what Ben just said, Nat. Traitor," Natalie said sticking her tongue out at him.

"Bickering like children as usual?" a voice came from the door.

"Hey Lils, good summer?" Natalie said to her redheaded friend stood at the doorway.

"Ugh, no," Lily sighed as she plonked herself on the seat next to Benjy, who immediately turned red and looked at everything except the girl beside him. Natalie rolled her eyes at her unsubtle friend. "My sister got married to that awful boy and she didn't even ask me to be a bridesmaid! My own sister! She chose Gwen, our second cousin who we haven't seen in 12 years over me, her only sister."

"Merlin, that's awful!" Natalie exclaimed, moving in front of Lily and taking her hand.

"I guess I should be used to it by now. She hasn't said more than 3 words at a time to me in about 5 years. I just thought maybe she would get better about it as we got older," Lily said, smiling sadly.

"Some people just can't change," Benjy said from beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Lily turned and smiled at him in thanks.

"Anyway," Lily said, wiping her eyes. "We need to go to the prefect's compartment," she said to Benjy as she stood up.

"Oh, yeah, I'll see you guys later," he said as he, too, stood up and they left the compartment together.

"See you," Natalie said and Nathan gave a small wave, still staring out of the window. "They'd make a cute couple," Natalie said, looking at the door from where the two left. She turned to Nathan and rolled her eyes. "What's up, Nat?" Nathan finally turned to look at Natalie and shrugged. Natalie sighed, stood up and put a silencing spell on the compartment so no one could overhear.

"Come on. Spill," she said returning to her seat in front of Nathan. He sighed and learned forward a bit, so he was closer to Natalie.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Ben?" He said seriously.

"I pinky promise," Natalie said holding out her little finger. Nathan shook it with his own.

"Okay, I, uhm," Nathan said awkwardly. "I kind of …fancy someone?" Natalie's eyes lit up.

"Ooh! Who is it?" she said excitedly. "Do I know her? I could help set you up, or you could just ask her out. This is so great." Nathan blushed and looked at the ground.

"That's the thing, Nat. It's, um, it's not a _her_ ," Nathan whispered the last word. Natalie's eyes widened and then she smiled.

"Nat, it's ok. I don't care. You're still my Nat," she said taking his hand, trying to catch his eye. He looked up at her and gave a small smile.

"You don't think I'm a freak?" he said timidly.

"Of course not, you can't help who you love. Trust me, if people could choose, I definitely would not have chosen James Potter," Natalie laughed. Nathan chuckled along with her. "So? Are you going to tell me who _he_ is?" Natalie giggled. Nathan laughed.

"Merlin, no!" he said.

"What? Why?" Natalie gaped at him offended.

"Because you can only keep one secret at a time and I'd rather it be the gay thing," Nathan laughed.

"But it's basically the same secret! Come on, you know who I fancy!" Natalie pleaded. Nathan snorted.

"Nat, everyone on earth knows who you fancy," Nathan said.

"Well, clearly not _everyone_ ," Natalie mumbled.

"Yeah, well he's an idiot so he doesn't count," Nathan smiled at her.

For a while the two sat in a comfortable silence, Nathan reading a book and Natalie flicking through Quidditch Weekly.

"Ugh, Robin Hunters is so hot," Natalie said staring at the Appleby Arrows player flying around on the page.

"He's a beater, right?" Nathan asked. Natalie nodded. "Not really my type." Natalie raised her eyebrow.

"So who is your type? Keepers?" she laughed. Nathan shrugged.

"Chasers, I guess," he chuckled.

"What's that about chasers?" Benjy said as he entered the compartment. Nathan looked at Natalie in a panic.

"Nathan was just saying that beaters weren't really his type, that he's more of a chasers kind of guy," Natalie explained. Nathan gave her a look that said _what the hell are you doing?_ Natalie returned with a look that said _chill, I've got this_. "Because I mentioned how much the blue of the Harpies uniform suits Liza Dickens better than the yellow did when she was at the Wasps. See?" Natalie said holding up her magazine to show said Harpies beater sporting her new blue robes. Benjy sat back in his seat next to Nathan.

"Are you kidding, you don't think Liza Dickens is hot?" Benjy asked Nathan incredulously. He shrugged.

"Like I said, not really my type," Nathan said and Natalie had to cover her mouth to stop her from letting out a laugh.

"Your loss, mate," Benjy said, pulling out the book he was reading earlier.

"So, how was prefecting?" Natalie asked. "Has Lily fallen madly in love with you yet?" Benjy glared at her.

"No, I got paired with Remus Lupin again for rounds this year. It's like Dumbledore hates me," he grumbled. Natalie laughed.

"Well, at least you're a good friend who shares information about who you fancy with me," Natalie said, looking pointedly at Nathan. Benjy turned to look at Nathan and then back to Natalie.

"I know who Nathan fancies," Benjy said nonchalantly. Both Nathan and Natalie whipped their heads around to look at Benjy.

"You do?!" they both said in unison.

"Mate, you couldn't be any more obvious about it," Benjy laughed.

"Who? Who is it? Oh gosh, please tell me, I hate being left out," Natalie pleaded.

"Are you absolutely certain you know who it is?" Nathan asked Benjy sceptically. Benjy leaned across and whispered something in Nathan's ear. Natalie was ready to burst with longing to know. Nathan laughed at whatever Benjy had said.

"Ben, you are way off, trust me," Nathan said laughing. Benjy looked confused.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," Nathan confirmed.

The rest of the journey went as it has done for the past 5 years: chatting about summers, playing exploding snap, stuffing faces with sweets. All the usual fun things teenagers do. Natalie said her farewell to the boys as they entered the Great Hall, the welcome feast being the only time they don't sit together, and sat down at the Gryffindor table between Lily and Peter Pettigrew.

"Hey, Nat?" James said once the sorting had finished and the food appeared. He was a few seats away her, next to Remus Lupin who was in front of her. She looked up from her plate and smiled at him. "I'm thinking of doing try-outs on Saturday, considering we basically need a whole new team and so will need plenty of time to train them before the first game. It'd really help me out if you were there, being the only remaining member of the team." His eyes always lit up when he was talking about Quidditch, Natalie noticed. It was very distracting.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good," Natalie answered, trying to stop herself from getting lost in his eyes.

"So we'll gather the newbies on the pitch after breakfast?" James suggested.

"It's a date," Natalie replied. She winced as soon as she said it, but James didn't seem to notice, just smiling at her and returning to his dinner. _Could you sound any more desperate?_ Natalie thought to herself. She caught the eye of Remus, who gave her a sympathetic smile. _Great, he noticed my pathetic pining._ This is going to be a long year.


	2. The Proposition

The first week of a new year is always intense, mostly because you're not used to doing any work so even the smallest amount feels like a lot. But Natalie was starting NEWT level work, and so there wasn't a small amount of work, there was a mountain of work. So by the time Saturday morning came around, Natalie was glad to take a break and help with Quidditch try-outs.

"So are you excited?" Nathan asked as Natalie joined him and Benjy at the Slytherin table for breakfast.

"For what?" Natalie replied as she began loading cornflakes into a bowl. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"For your date with McDreamy, obviously," Nathan said.

"McDreamy?" Benjy questioned, raising his eyebrow. Nathan blushed slightly.

"That's what everyone calls him," Nathan explained. "Well, all the girls," he added quickly. "The girls have given them all names. Black is McSteamy, Lupin is McRemy and Pettigrew is McDreary."

"That seems a bit harsh on Peter," Natalie said. Nathan shrugged. "And anyway, it's not a _date_. It's just quidditch. Which I should be getting to, so I'll see you later." Natalie got up from the table, grabbing a banana as she went. She noticed that James wasn't at breakfast but his friends were. _Probably already at the pitch preparing_ , she though fondly. We she arrived she noticed James flying laps around the pitch and smiled to herself.

"Hey Cap!" she greeted him as she approached. He stopped his broom and grinned at her, flying down to the ground. She groaned internally as she took in his dishevelled appearance. _They got it right with McDreamy_. She handed the banana to him as he landed in front of her.

"Cheers," James said. "They're starting to arrive," he managed to get out with his mouth full of banana. Natalie looked back toward the castle and did indeed see people coming towards the pitch. They all gathered in a group in front of the two of them. Natalie became suddenly aware that they were all looking towards her and James and felt a bit awkward.

"Okay, thank you all for coming today. First of all I'd just like to ask any first years to leave. No offence, I'm sure some of you would make great players but you're not allowed your own brooms and the school brooms are crap so I'm not risking it," James said. The few first years that had showed up all groaned and made their way back to the castle. "Also anyone who came to try out for keeper, you can leave too because we already have an excellent keeper," he turned to look at Natalie fondly as she blushed, and again a few of the crowd left. "Alright, now we can get started. Can anyone trying out for the two chaser positions please step forward and the rest of you can go sit in the stands." The crowd did as James instructed. "Okay, so I'm going to have each of you take ten shots against Nat. The two who score the most are on the team. Simple as that. First up we'll have, er, Jeremy Groove." The boy in question mounted his broom and took the quaffle from James. Natalie flew up to the goal posts and got ready.

The chasers try-outs didn't last too long as there were only seven people wanting to play the position. Natalie flew back to the ground after the last person had tried out, wiping the sweat from her brow and panting for breath.

"You were great," James said to her as she landed. Natalie blushed and thanked him. "Okay, the two who got the most in were," he paused to look at his notes, "Elaine Krafts and Olivia Gauge. Welcome to the team," he looked up and grinned at them. There were some groans from the group but most people congratulated the two girls. "OKAY BEATERS!" James yelled over to the group waiting in the stands, a few got up and flew down to where James and Natalie were stood. "So I'm going to assess you in pairs. One of you will try to hit me with a bludger and the other will try to defend me from it. First up, Sirius? You didn't tell me you trying out," James said to his best friend in confusion.

"Spur of the moment," Sirius shrugged.

"Ugh, we've got no chance now," some boy said from the group.

"Hey, I hate losing. I'm going to choose the best player. If Sirius is crap, I don't care how much of a mate he is, he isn't coming anywhere near my team," James laughed and the group was put at ease again. "Anyway, as I was saying. Up first Sirius, you're on hitting me, and Dave Brown, you're on defending me." The two of them mounted their brooms and grabbed their bats. "Hey, Nat. Can you release the bludger when we're up there? And also can you watch them, I only get so much of a view flying around," James said to Natalie.

"Sure, but do you want me to be target? You're captain after all and should make the decision of who's on the team," Natalie said.

"No, it's fine. Anyway, I value your input. There's no I in team," James chuckled and Natalie laughed too. James flew up to join the two beaters and Natalie went over to the large chest to release the bludger. Watching them play, Natalie couldn't tell if Sirius was really good or if Dave was the worst beater ever because James got hit about 5 times in the space of two minutes, and every time Natalie winced and worried.

"Alright, that's enough," James groaned, rubbing his arm. Sirius grinned at him apologetically. "Ugh, next up, you two. Blondie and big nose, what are your names?" James said indicating to the two in pain.

The rest of the twelve beaters went much in the same way, with James getting pelted by bludgers and Natalie worrying about him more and more, offering to take over at the halfway point and James yet again refusing. She'd think it was sweet if it wasn't so stupid.

"Alright, that was good. Give me a minute to discuss with my team mate and I'll get back to you," James said dismounting his broom and joining Natalie. "So, what did you think?" he said breathlessly.

"Well, considering Black pelted you about a billion times despite your friendship I'd say he's a good contender," Natalie laughed.

"Ha! He hit me that many times _because_ of our friendship, bet he's wanted to do that for ages," James joked. "Kane was also pretty good; I didn't get hit once when he was defending me." Natalie suddenly became aware how close James was leaning towards her in order to not be heard by the group. She could feel his breath coming in pants against her neck as he recovered from the workout of dodging bludgers. A blush crept up her cheeks as her mind trailed to thoughts of his lips on her neck. "Nat? What did you think of Kane?" James asked again.

"Oh, yes. He was very good. So, Black and Kane?" Natalie stammered, blushing even more from being caught. James grinned and nodded. He stepped back from Natalie and turned to face the group. "We have made a decision. Sirius Black and Joshua Kane, welcome to the team!" Again, some of the group groaned and others congratulated the two boys. "Alright SEEKERS!" James called up to the remaining students in the stands waiting to try-out. They all scrambled eagerly to the pitch, having been waiting an awfully long time for their chance to shine. James picked up a basket of small white balls as the group gathered in front of him. "These are muggle table tennis balls. Small and light, just like the snitch. I am going to throw them and each of you individually are going to catch them. The two who do the best at this exercise will then compete against each other with the real snitch. First up, Jason Grimm." James pelted each seeker with multiple balls, looking like he was enjoying himself immensely after being repeatedly hit by bludgers. In the end, only two remained. "Okay, Grant and Livesy, I'm going to release the snitch, first to catch it is on the team. On my mark," James released the snitch and let it fly around a bit before shouting, "go!" He then turned to Natalie and smiled. "They will probably be a while. Do you want to watch them from the stands?" Natalie nodded and they went. James let out a sigh as he sunk onto the bench. "I am exhausted," he said.

"I'm not surprised," Natalie gave a short laugh, "after being whacked by bludgers all morning." James laughed too. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"It's not too bad. I'll go up to Pomfrey and get something for it later," he replied, indicating to his injured arm. "I think it might be broken."

"You think it's broken and you're still here? Go now, I can watch to see who catches the snitch."

"No, it's fine, really," James shrugged and then winced. Natalie rolled her eyes. _Boys_ , she thought. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just watching the two seekers fly around searching for the snitch.

"Hey, Nat? James asked and Natalie turned to him. "We're mates, right?" Natalie nodded slowly, wondering where this was going. "And you know that I, er, kind of fancy Lily, right?" Natalie tried to ignore the feeling of her heart being stepped on.

"Who doesn't?" she giggled awkwardly. She really didn't like where this was going.

"Well, I was wondering if you could help me out with her?" he asked, his eyes staring at her pleadingly. She couldn't resist those eyes.

"You want me to put in a good word with her?" Natalie asked, trying to sound aloof.

"Well, no. I've tried that, it doesn't really work. But I think I've figured out a plan to win her over." He suddenly got really excited and his eyes lit up. Natalie couldn't help but smile with him. "You see, she turns me down because I was immature but I've changed, I know I have, but I don't really know how to prove it to her if she won't say two words to me."

"So, what is it you want me to do?" Natalie asked, confused.

"Well, I feel like a good way to show her how mature I am is to show her that I'm capable of moving on from her, and that I can be a good boyfriend. So I was wondering if you would, well, pretend? To be my girlfriend? You can say no if that's too weird, because I like to think we're good friends and I don't want to ruin that with weirdness," James said quickly. Natalie laughed suddenly and uncontrollably. James looked at her in confusion, but Natalie just couldn't stop laughing.

"That is the worst plan I have ever heard!" Natalie gasped out between laughs. James laughed too and soon they were both clinging to each other for support, laughing hysterically.

"Erm, I caught the snitch?" Mickey Grant said standing in front of the giggling couple, holding out the golden ball. James managed to calm himself down, wiping his eyes from crying with laughter, and took the snitch from the boy.

"Congrats! You made the team," he said, still laughing a little. Natalie, too, had finally gotten a hold of herself and was simply smiling fondly at James. "So? Will you do it?" James asked Natalie once the boy had left.

"Sure, why not? If it's in the name of love," Natalie replied chuckling. _This could be interesting_ , she thought.


	3. The First Day

Natalie spent all of Sunday in the library completing all of her unfinished assignments and so had yet to tell her friends about the new arrangement between her and James until the Monday morning.

"You what?!" Nathan exclaimed, spitting the pumpkin juice he held in his mouth all over Benjy, who didn't look pleased. "Sorry, Ben. Nat! What were you thinking?"

"No, no. This could be good," Benjy said in thought. Natalie and Nathan both gave him a look that said _are you kidding?_ "Natalie gets to spend time as the girlfriend of McDreamy, winning him over in the process. Meaning Potter will no longer fancy Lily and I can make my move! It's genius!"

"Potter has never stopped you from making your move on Lily, why do you need him out of the way?" Natalie questioned, raising her eyebrow and smirking. Benjy blushed.

"Well, I might feel slightly less threatened if I know he's not going to hex me for asking her out," he explained.

"Well, I think this can only end in disaster," Nathan added, rolling his eyes.

"What can only end in disaster?" James asked as he sat down beside Natalie. All three stared at him in confusion. "What? I can't sit with my girlfriend at breakfast?" James grinned and planted a kiss on Natalie's cheek, which instantly turned red.

"So, um, what is it exactly that I do as your fake girlfriend?" Natalie asked trying to not sound so excited at the prospect of being James' girlfriend, fake or not.

"Just girlfriend stuff," James shrugged. Natalie stared at him waiting for more. "What? You don't know what girlfriends do?" Natalie shook her head.

"I've never been a girlfriend before," Natalie said quietly. James frowned.

"But you've been on loads of dates," James exclaimed. Natalie laughed.

"If by loads you mean two, and those were just dates. They never led to anything," she said sadly. James gave her a small smile.

"Well, don't worry. I'll help you," he said squeezing her hand under the table, causing Natalie to blush. "Anyway, we have transfig." James stood, Natalie's hand still in his, pulling her up.

"I'll see you later," she said to Nathan and Benjy, giving them a small wave as she walked out of the Great Hall with James. She looked down at their entwined fingers and smiled, her cheeks pink. A few students stared at them, whispering and giggling, as they made their way up to transfiguration. It made Natalie nervous.

"Just ignore them," James whispered in her ear, goose bumps appearing where his breath touched her neck. The pair sat together in transfiguration, an arrangement that seemed to leave both Lily and Sirius a bit put out, both losing their usual partner. Once Professor McGonagall had set the class their task for the lesson, Natalie finally resolved to ask James something that had been on her mind.

"James?" she said, tapping his shoulder to draw his attention away from the hedgehog he was attempting to turn into a hairbrush. "If you wanted to show Lily that you've moved on, how come you didn't just, you know, _actually_ ask someone out?"

"Well, I didn't want to lead anyone on. This way you no one gets hurt feelings, because you know from the beginning that it's not real," he explained. _Fake going out with someone to prove you're mature doesn't really sound like something a mature person would do_ , Natalie thought to herself. _But I'm not complaining_ , she added as James slung an arm around her shoulder.

By fourth period, when Natalie had care of magical creatures and James had divination, she was glad to have a break for a little while. As much as she liked James, he was a bit too full on to spend long periods of time with, she had learned. _I guess that's the difference between an introvert and an extrovert_ , she thought.

She sighed as she sunk onto the ground in the courtyard where the lesson was held.

"Are you okay Natalie?" Mary MacDonald, a fellow Gryffindor, asked from in front of her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," Natalie replied giving her a small smile.

"Settle down," Professor Kettleburn said as he approached the class carrying a large bird cage. Inside was a beautiful bird, about the size of a magpie, with brightly coloured feathers. "This is a fwooper," he told the class. "Does anyone know what a fwooper is?" Several students raised their hands. "Miss Klarke?" He indicated to the blonde Hufflepuff.

"It's an African bird, whose song leads to insanity of the listener," she explained.

"That is correct," the teacher beamed. "Now, I have released a few into the forest, unsilenced. They shouldn't have flown too far in as they prefer the light. I want you, in pairs, to take a birdcage and attempt to catch one, and of course silence it before you are driven insane." Natalie looked around the class trying to find someone who she could partner with. Her first thought was Mary, but she had already paired herself with Marlene McKinnon.

"Do you want to be partners?" a voice said from behind her. Natalie turned around and smiled.

"Sure," she said to Remus. Anyone was better than Creepy Colin from Hufflepuff. Remus picked up a cage from the pile and the two made their way to join everyone else on their way to the forest.

"Don't stray too far. Make sure you can always see the edge," Professor Kettleburn shouted to us.

Natalie and Remus walked in silence for a while, looking up into the trees and listening out for the songbird.

"So, you and James, huh?" Remus asked. Natalie smiled at the thought. _Me and James_.

"Yeah, that's a thing," Natalie said, laughing a little. Remus laughed also.

"It's ok, he's told us it's fake," he explained. "Though I imagine it's hard."

"How so?" Natalie questioned, confused.

"Well, the relationship is fake, but your feelings are real," Remus pointed out. Natalie became bright red.

"Am I that obvious?" she stammered awkwardly. Remus chuckled.

"A little bit, but James hasn't noticed so you can't be that bad," he reassured her.

"Do you think it's a terrible idea?" she asked. Remus shrugged.

"I think James' ideas are always terrible, and it's not going to work in winning over Lily. And I think it's a bit of a terrible idea on your part too, because he's going to hurt you," he answered sadly. Natalie thought he was probably right. Who was she kidding? _James Potter would never be interested in me when Lily Evans exists_.

In the dorm rooms that evening, Lily sat herself on the end of Natalie's bed as she read.

"So, you and Potter, huh?" she asked excitedly. Natalie rolled her eyes fondly.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to convince out it, considering how much of an 'arrogant bastard' he is," Natalie teased. Lily smiled and shook her head.

"I wouldn't do that. I may not like him, but I know how much you do. And anyway, you might finally learn how much of an arrogant bastard he actually is," she laughed. _Unlikely_ , Natalie thought.


	4. The Kiss

"Good morning, love," James greeted Natalie as she sat down beside him for breakfast. She smiled at the nickname. "So I've been thinking," he whispered in her ear, causing her heart rate to increase, "that if this is going to be a convincing relationship, we're going to need to kiss." Natalie nearly choked on the piece of toast she was chewing.

"Right now?" Natalie asked, food still in her mouth. _Attractive, Nat_.

"Not right this second, I'll let you swallow your toast first," James laughed. "I just wanted your permission; I didn't want to catch you off guard."

"Permission granted," Natalie laughed. James grinned and suddenly leaned down to kiss her. Natalie's eyes widened in shock and then she kissed him back. It wasn't her first kiss, but it was her first good kiss. Her previous attempts had been awkward, one being essentially just his mouth pressed against hers, not really a kiss. The other had been a traumatic experience in which the boy used an unnecessary amount of tongue. This kiss, however, was very pleasant. Most likely due to the practice James had probably had. _But there's something missing_ , Natalie thought. James pulled away and smiled at her, leaving Natalie slightly dazed. _Perhaps it was just because it was a fake kiss_.

"So, what was it like?" Lily asked Natalie in history of magic, a class she didn't share with James.

"You want to know how James Potter kisses?" Natalie questioned, her eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips. Lily rolled her eyes.

"No, I want to know how your boyfriend kisses. It just so happens that they happen to be the same person," she answered.

"Well, he's certainly very talented," Natalie said, a dreaming expression taking over her features as she thought back to the kiss.

"Was it everything you always dreamed of?" Lily asked. Natalie thought for a moment. _Was it?_

"Yeah, of course," Natalie lied. The truth was that it didn't seem right. She'd read enough romance novels to know that you were supposed to feel something when kissing someone you like for the first time, but there was nothing with James. _But James wasn't really kissing me, it was fake_ , she reasoned with herself. _It will feel magical when I kiss him for real. If I ever do_.

Over the next few weeks, as the news that James Potter and Natalie Carpenter were a couple spread, rumours started to be spread also. Because the entire school knew of James' infatuation with Lily, the thought of him legitimately dating anyone else was odd. The most popular rumour was that James was using Natalie in order to make Lily jealous, which was the closest to the truth. Others were that Natalie had used a love potion on James, or some variation of this. Unfortunately, the latter seemed to be popular with other girls, and so Natalie often found herself being ridiculed in the hallways.

"How pathetically low do you have to get to need to give someone a love potion," Natalie overheard the snickers as she walked to the common room. She has been trying to ignore it, but it's been starting to wear away at her. _Am I really so horrible that James would only ever be interested in my under the influence of a love potion?_ Natalie thought. She felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes and attempted to hold them in until she could get to her dorm. _No need to give them more ammo_. Entering the common room to find it empty, she let the tears fall from her eyes and a sob escaped her lips. Or at least she thought it was empty.

"Natalie? Are you okay?" Remus said, getting up from his place in the corner armchair where Natalie couldn't see him. She quickly wiped away her tears and gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine," she lied. Remus raised his eyebrow at her.

"Natalie, you're crying," he said. He sat down on the couch and patted the space beside him.

"It's just," Natalie began, sitting in the offered seat, "all these rumours are starting to get to me. Some people can be particularly cruel," she explained. Remus smiled sadly.

"I know what you mean," he said. Natalie gave him a questioning look. "I miss a lot of days due to illness. The Hogwarts rumour mill can be imaginative and mean," Remus chuckled darkly. "Which rumour is it in particular that's bothering you? I've heard a few that are pretty awful." Natalie groaned at the thought of more that she hasn't heard yet.

"Well then I'm sure you've heard what a desperate, pathetic slag I am for slipping a love potion into James' pumpkin juice," she said sarcastically. "Am I really so awful that only a love potion would get me a date?" She felt her eyes welling up again.

"Merlin, no!" Remus exclaimed. "I'm sure if James wasn't so stubborn about Lily he would want you as his real girlfriend. Anyone would," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Thanks Remus," Natalie smiled at him. James, Sirius and Peter then came in through the portrait hole and Natalie discreetly wiped away the rest of her tears before smiling at the boys.

"Oh good, you're here," James said excitedly sitting next to Natalie. "I was just talking to Lily." Natalie gave him a look to say continue. "That's it. _I was talking to Lily!_ A real conversation! This fake relationship seems to be working."

"That's great, James," Natalie said smiling. On the inside she was breaking though, as she thought of the relationship soon coming to an end.

"Anyway, do you still want my help with that transfiguration essay?" James asked, pulling his books out of his bag. Natalie nodded and did the same. They sat working on the essay for a while. Natalie soon found out that James would make a terrible teacher, were he to pursue that career. He was impatient and got frustrated when Natalie didn't know something.

"This is so easy, how can you not get it?" James exclaimed, exasperated. Natalie blushed in embarrassment.

"James, you're being harsh," Remus scolded. Natalie smiled at the boy in thanks.

"Well you teach her then, if you're such a saint!" James said and stormed up to the boys' dorm. Natalie winced at his raised voice. Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend's behaviour and got up from his seat.

"I'll go tell him how much of a prick he is," he sighed and followed James to the dorms. Remus was furious, but resolved to remain in the common room and indeed help Natalie with her essay. It was awkward at first but Natalie soon relaxed as Remus calmly explained the things she didn't understand, unlike James. It didn't take them too long to get it all done, finishing just before dinner.

"Thank you," Natalie said to Remus as they walked to the Great Hall together. Remus smiled at her.

"No problem. James was a dick," he said. Natalie laughed.

"He was a dick," she agreed as they laughed together. "But really, thank you. You we're very good. You should be a teacher," she said.

"I'll consider it," Remus said. "What are you planning on doing?" he asked glancing at her and smiling.

"After Hogwarts? I have no idea. Any suggestions would be welcome," Natalie chuckled.

"You could be a teacher too," Remus suggested. Natalie snorted a laugh.

"Merlin, no! I'm not good enough at any subjects to pass on my knowledge on to others," she explained. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Well if that's the criteria, what am I supposed to teach?" he questioned.

"You're good at things. You would teach a cool subject, like charms or defence. Something with a lot of practicals. You would be everyone's favourite teacher," Natalie stated. Remus burst into laughter. "I'm serious!" Natalie exclaimed, unable to hold in her giggles. Soon, the two of them arrived at the Great Hall, still chuckling slightly.

"I'm going to sit with my friends at the Hufflepuff table, I'll see you later," Natalie said. Remus smiled and gave her a small wave as they made their way to the different tables.

"That wasn't your fake boyfriend," Nathan pointed out as Natalie joined him and Benjy.

"No, James was being a prick," Natalie explained.

"What's new there?" Benjy said rolling his eyes. Natalie gave him a look.

"Ooh, trouble in fake paradise. McDreamy not living up to your fantasies?" Nathan asked. Natalie shrugged. "This could be good, though. Maybe you'll finally get over your ridiculous crush," Nathan stated.

"No, no, no! Nat needs to get James to fall in love with her, so I can have Lily!" Benjy exclaimed. Natalie raised her eyebrow.

"Lily isn't an object that belongs to either you or James. And James isn't going to fall in love with me, he pines over Lily constantly. It's really annoying, to be honest. I think Nat might be right," she said. _Could I really be getting over him?_ She thought to herself.


	5. The Truth Comes Out

The next morning Natalie was on her way out of the portrait hole to breakfast when she was suddenly dragged by her arm round a corner.

"James, what the hell are you doing?" she exclaimed as the boy in question let go of her and leant against the wall.

"I wanted to apologise," he said sincerely. Natalie raised her eyebrow at him.

"By dislocating my shoulder?" she questioned, rubbing her sore arm. James looked down sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. And sorry for being such a git yesterday. Clearly teaching is not the vocation for me," he apologised. His eyes looked guilty, Natalie noticed, and her expression softened.

"No problem. Next time, I'll ask someone else," she laughed. James grinned.

"Oh, hey! Hogsmeade this weekend, you in?" he asked, hooking an arm around her shoulder as they began walking. Natalie blushed slightly.

"What, like a date?"

"Well, yeah. We are dating," James said and winked at her. "Do you know if Lily has a date?" Natalie's smile fell.

"Err, I don't know."

"It's just you could ask her if she wanted to double date," James suggested. Natalie laughed.

"You think Lily would agree to anything that involves you and a date?" Natalie noticed his dejected look and smiled sadly. "I'll ask her." He grinned and pecked her cheek.

"You're the best!" Natalie giggled, blushing.

"I'm going to sit with my friends," Natalie said as they entered the Great Hall.

"Okay," James smiled. Natalie gave him a confused look as he brought a hand up to cup her cheek. He closed the gap between them, halting just before their lips met. "May I kiss you?" he whispered. Natalie's brain wasn't functioning enough to form any kind of response other than to simply lock her fingers in his hair and press her mouth against his. James was taken aback by the unexpected enthusiasm but quickly responded just as eagerly. Natalie's stomach fluttered as the hand that was on her cheek moved to the back of her neck and James' other hand gripped her hip, pulling her closer.

"Get a room!" Sirius yelled from the Gryffindor table. The couple pulled apart sheepishly, Natalie avoiding James' eyes.

"I'll see you later," she mumbled, scurrying away to the Slytherin table where Benjy and Nathan sat.

"So that was wild," Nathan said as Natalie sat down, her face flushed red.

"That didn't look very fake," Benjy pointed out. Natalie suddenly snapped out of her daze. In the heat of the moment Natalie had forgotten that she wasn't actually dating James. She shook herself internally and forced a smile at her friends.

"Well, trust me, it was. He's asked me to see if Lily will double date with us to Hogsmeade," she explained. Benjy's eyes lit up and a grin spread over his face.

"This is perfect!" he exclaimed. "I can be Lily's date!" Natalie raised her eyebrow at him.

"So you're finally going to ask her out?" she asked. Benjy turned a little red.

"Well, no. Just tell her you're really nervous or something and you want us both there to make it less intense," he suggested. Natalie sighed.

"I feel like all my life is now is getting Lily to date people." Benjy gave her a hopeful look.

"Fine, I'll ask her," Natalie gave, smiling as her friend burst into a grin. She rolled her eyes and glanced over at Nathan, who had been unusually quiet throughout the exchange. "You all right, Nat?" she asked. He looked up from where he had been staring into his cereal.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about, uh, homework," he answered. Natalie eyed him, not quite believing this. Benjy snorted a laugh.

"Nerd," he chuckled. Nathan cracked at smile

After breakfast, the three headed to charms class. Natalie took her usual seat next to Lily, despite the fact she noticed James had left an empty seat next to him. Lily looked at her quizzically.

"Not sitting with your new man?" she asked.

"Nah, I suck at charms and need your brain to help me out," Natalie said. Lily laughed lightly. "But I also wanted to ask you something. Sort of related to James." Lily looked at Natalie questioningly. "So, uh, Hogsmeade is coming up and, well, James asked me to go with him," Natalie explained.

Lily nodded. "That is to be expected, yes."

"Well, you know how much I've liked him for ages and I'm a bit nervous about going on a real life date with him and I thought maybe we could double date or something so you're there with me to keep me good," Natalie rambled. Lily raised her eyebrow.

"You want me to come on a date with you and James Potter?" she asked in disbelief. Professor Flitwick arrived at that point and started the class. There was very little opportunity to continue their conversation throughout the lesson so Natalie had plenty of time to think of a way to make her request sound like it was coming from her and not from the boys. But before she had a chance to make her case once class was over, Lily brought the subject back.

"Look, Nat. I don't… I know how you feel about James and… Natalie, you're really great and one of my best friends and I don't want to hurt your feelings by asking you this but," she paused and sighed, "did James suggest making it a double date with me?" Natalie opened her mouth to rely, but was interrupted.

"What's this about a double date?" James asked, slinging an arm around Natalie's shoulder.

"Did you set her up to this?" Lily accused, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," James said, rather convincingly.

"I swear to god, James Potter, if you're leading her on when she has real feelings for you -"

"Lily!" Natalie said, shocked. _How could she?_

"I -" James started to defend himself, but then Lily's words began to register. "What?" He turned to Natalie, who had become very pink.

"I have to get to my next class," she stammered, hurriedly gathering her things and rushing out of the room. She didn't know what she would say when she finally had to face James again but for now she forced everything that just happened to the back of her mind and made her way outside for Care of Magical Creatures. It was raining when she stepped out of the castle and she hadn't brought her cloak. Professor Kettleburn was not one to change his lesson plans according to the weather and so the sixth years all huddled in the rain waiting for him to set their task for the morning.

"Good morning students! My original plan for today was to have you take care of some bowtruckles, but they appear to have escaped from their cage and run off into the forest. So I would instead like you to take these cages and some food and recapture the bowtruckles. Good luck!"

"You'd think the Care of Magical Creatures professor would know bowtruckles can pick locks." Natalie jumped at the unexpected voice in her ear. "Hasn't he read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?" She turned to see Remus smiling at her. "You all right?" he asked, eyes concerned. Natalie cringed as thought back to what was in reality only a few moments ago. She said nothing for a while, just picked up a cage and wandered into the forest with Remus following.

"Did he say anything?" she said at last, quietly. She stopped walking and turned around to face Remus. "James. Did he say anything after I left?"

"He was going to go after you but your friend, Nathan, said he should let you be alone for a bit," he answered.

"And yet here you are, not letting me be alone," Natalie joked. Remus laughed.

"I'm sorry, but my education doesn't revolve around you," he chuckled. "You are going to have face him eventually, though, you know?"

Natalie smiled sadly. "I know."


	6. A New Development

Natalie had managed to successfully avoid James for the rest of the day, sitting at the Hufflepuff table at lunch and dinner, and not sharing any classes with him in the afternoon. She had done such a good job of steering clear of him that she had completely forgotten why she was in the first place, and had made the mistake of sitting in the common room that evening. She was snuggled up in a corner on her favourite squishy armchair, draped in a blanket and reading a book.

"Hey Nat," the familiar voice said smiling. She looked up from the page and saw James leaning against the wall beside her, a small smile on his lips. Her cheeks turned pink as she remembered what happened that morning.

"Sorry about the thing with Lily this morning," Natalie said quietly, fixing her eyes onto her book again. James sighed and sat on the arm of Natalie's chair. "

You don't have to apologise, Nat," he said. He looked over to where his friends sat 'subtly' watching him. He rolled his eyes and bowed his head down closer to Natalie.

"Can we go somewhere more private?" he asked quietly. Goosebumps appeared on the skin of Natalie's neck where his breath had touched her, and her cheeks grew pinker. She nodded and pushed herself out of the chair, gathering her book and her blanket and folding it neatly on the chair. James gently took her hand and led her up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. She heard Sirius wolf whistle as she followed James, and her face reddened.

James rolled his eyes. "Ignore him."

Natalie was expecting the worst when they were finally alone and so she spoke first, wanting to get it over with quickly.

"Look, James, I know what you're going to say and I'm okay with us just being friends. I can get over my stupid feelings, you're friendship means a lot to me and I don't want to lose that by it being weird between us," she said quickly, staring at the ground. When she finally looked at James he was smiling.

"I," he paused for a second, thinking. "I don't want to just be friends anymore."

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked. James rolled his eyes and pulled Natalie to sit on the bed beside him.

"Don't be dim, you know what I mean." He stroked her hand with his thumb.

"But you like Lily," Natalie said, refusing to believe what was happening.

"Honestly, I think liking Lily is just a habit at this point. I've liked 'fake' dating you. And I think I'd like real dating you even more." James brushed a stray hair out of Natalie's face. Her cheeks flushed at the places where his fingertips grazed her skin. His eyes were sincere as she searched them, and she notice them flick down at her lips and then back up to hers. Their faces inched closer until their noses almost touched.

"But why -" she began to argue.

"Shut up," James muttered, closing the gap between them. One hand tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her neck, the other softly gripping her waist. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe with him kissing her and she didn't care. She was vaguely aware that her hand was gripping the front of his shirt, but she wasn't aware of much else because her head was spinning. When he finally pulled away, he chuckled and pressed light kisses along her jaw.

"James," Natalie breathed, he brain starting to work again.

"Hmm?"

The door opened then.

"Sorry to interrupt you love birds but I need my beauty sleep," Sirius said as he crossed the room to his bed, Remus and Peter entering the dormitory behind him. Natalie turned a little pink at being caught but James only laughed at his friend, his hand still on her waist.

"I should probably go to bed," she said, standing up. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, her hair a mess and her face red.

"Okay, goodnight," James said, standing up and placing a small kiss on her lips.

She made the journey to her own dormitory with a smile on her face, attempting to smooth down her hair before she joined her roommates. The girls smirked at her knowingly as she entered and she couldn't contain her giggles.


End file.
